Malaysia Repatriates 9,500 Myanmar Nationals as Junta Leader Visits

Malaysia has repatriated approximately 9,500 Myanmar nationals since January, including 1,476 sent by sea on Myanmar naval vessels in late September, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told parliament. Anwar said all returnees signed consent forms and that the agreement covers all ethnicities, including Rohingya, though none have been returned so far. Myanmar's military leader Min Aung Hlaing arrived in Kuala Lumpur on October 7 for a two-day visit to discuss the phased plan covering up to 5,000 detainees, receiving a guard of honour at the airport. Rights groups including Fortify Rights and Human Rights Watch condemned the visit and urged Malaysia to halt returns, warning deportees could face forced conscription or persecution amid a civil war that has displaced 3.5 million people. The UN refugee agency UNHCR says it had no access to detainees to verify whether consent was freely given. ACLED analysis links the policy shift to rising domestic hostility, with a deportation petition gathering over 400,000 signatures and mass arrests of Myanmar nationals surging to over 170 incidents this year.